Packers complete best offseason yet under Ted Thompson

The Green Bay Packers are poised for another Super Bowl push after Ted Thompson‘s finest offseason as general manager.

Since being hired in 2005, Packers general manager Ted Thompson has been one of the most successful executives in the NFL. A silent, zen-like figure, Thompson quietly does his job while head coach Mike McCarthy and the rest of the Packers deal with the media. Thompson has come under fire in recent years from impatient Packer fans, but this offseason was without question his best.

Last season was a revealing one for the Packers. A demoralizing 4-6 start combined with inexplicably frustrating offensive woes made the NFL world wonder how the team would perform had Aaron Rodgers not been the team’s quarterback. Rodgers rescued things and led the Packers to six consecutive wins to finish out the regular season and miraculously win the division.

Two playoff wins later, the Packers were playing for a spot in the Super Bowl in Atlanta. As Mike McCarthy put it, the team “ran into a buzzsaw” and were blown apart 44-21. The team simply ran out of gas, but it revived concerns about the true depth and talent of the team outside of their starting quarterback. One offseason later, the Packers are a much better all around team thanks to a beautifully crafted offseason.

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It all started with Thompson letting go of some key contributors. Future Hall-of-Famer Julius Peppers was shown the door first. The nine-time Pro Bowler had a great three-year run in Green Bay, but this past season was proof that Father Time is still undefeated. Peppers appeared to simply slow all the way down towards the end of the year, and while he wanted to continue playing, the Packers made the right choice in trying to get younger and faster on defense.

Thompson then turned heads by showing Micah Hyde the exit. The hybrid defensive back made a name for himself in Green Bay and played a huge role in the Packers’ playoff win in Dallas. While Hyde has been a strong player for the defense and valuable punt returner, he become a little overrated as time went on.

Hyde was never quite able top replicate the strength of play from the slot cornerback position once provided by Casey Hayward, who departed via free agency in 2016. Hyde’s slowness also became more and more of a problem for a team needing to add speed to its secondary.

Datone Jones, Letroy Guion, Jared Cook, Eddie Lacy, T.J. Lang and J.C. Tretter were also let out of town. The loss of Lang hurts, but the Packers may have become concerned by his lengthy injury history and advancement into his 30’s. Tretter was priced out of a contract by the cap-space heavy Cleveland Browns.

Thompson did a fantastic job plugging the holes. Many general managers make the mistake of poorly combining their free agent signings with their draft picks. Thompson combined his additions to the team masterfully.

Silencing his doubters, he scooped up tight end Martellus Bennett on an affordable three-year contract to replace Jared Cook. Bennett is one of the most underrated players in the NFL and among the very best tight ends the league has to offer.

Thompson realized however that replacing Cook with Bennett wasn’t enough. A day later, he doubled down at the position with the acquisition of former Los Angeles Ram Lance Kendricks. The tight end group now has more depth than McCarthy has ever had, and this will help plug holes in a young, inexperienced rushing attack.

Shortly thereafter, cornerback Davon House was brought back to Green Bay. Thompson carefully held his offer as long as he could without raising it, looking to save every precious penny.

House finally agreed to a one-year deal for just over three million dollars, a terrific bargain for a player familiar with the team’s defensive scheme, is just 28 years old, and someone who set a franchise record for pass breakups with the Jaguars two seasons ago. The secondary was crying out for veteran reinforcements, and House could not be a better fit for Dom Capers’ unit.

Thompson continued to shock the NFL world with his aggressive spending and signed defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois. A solid run defender, Francois will give the Packers a needed big body along the defensive line.

The Packers will be face many top running backs this year, including Atlanta’s Devonta Freeman, former Packer Eddie Lacy and Minnesota’s talented rookie Dalvin Cook. A seemingly eternally suspect run defense in Green Bay may have just gotten a little better thanks to the addition of Francois.

Just a day before the draft, the Packers did not have a firm answer at the right guard spot. Thompson scrambled and found veteran Jahri Evans. Slower and less healthy than he used to be, Evans is far past his prime, but he’s a useful stopgap starter for a team that couldn’t afford to use precious draft resources at the position.

With the tight end position figured out, the offensive line starters set, and a veteran added to the secondary and defensive line, Thompson had a firm idea of the direction he wanted to go on draft night.